He’s been targeting pike since October and recently embarked on an early morning session with his friend, Adam. The pair were fishing by sunrise and, after a few small jacks for Adam in the first two hours of the session, Raymond switched to a float fished roach and sat back watching the scenery.

Suddenly, he received a small knock on the float before it slowly vanished beneath the surface. He lifted into a very heavy fish which he says felt like he was ‘bringing a log up from the bottom’ before he saw a huge swirl on the surface as the fish dived and pulled line from the reel. With Adam crouched at the water’s edge with the net, the fish made a few last-minute bursts as it neared the bank.

Raymond was sure it would be lost, but Adam managed to land the fish, with it only just fitting in their large net. The pair of them were shocked by the size of the specimen, with them both shaking with adrenaline after letting the fish swimming positively away.

Well done Raymond!